The UN's top humanitarian official has criticised Israel and Hezbollah for hindering access to southern Lebanon, calling the situation a "disgrace". Jan Egeland said both sides could give aid agencies access in a "heartbeat". Hospitals in south Lebanon are also said to be low on food and fuel. The warning came amid more violence across the Israel-Lebanon border. Hezbollah rockets killed two Israeli Arabs, as Israel continued air strikes. Israeli planes also dropped leaflets on southern Beirut, warning residents of three districts to leave immediately. More than 1,000 Lebanese, most of them civilians, have now been killed in the hostilities, the Lebanese government has said. Some 121 Israelis, most of them soldiers, have also been killed. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk

Fighting in Afghanistan's south left 12 suspected Taliban and eight police dead, while a roadside bomb Thursday killed two Afghan civilians in an eastern province, officials said.The roadside bomb went off in Jalalabad while Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry — the top U.S. general in Afghanistan — visited a U.S. base in the city.The bomb killed an Afghan man and his grandson who were selling vegetables at a street stall and five other people were wounded, Eikenberry told The Associated Press.Mohammad Husain, secretary of the provincial police chief, said the blast went off about 20 minutes after Eikenberry and other officials passed in a convoy of vehicles, but U.S. military spokesman Tom Collins said the general did not travel on that road and was unlikely the target.Collins said the general was at a U.S. provincial reconstruction team base in Jalalabad at the time, and only visited the site of the blast two hours later....http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-08-10-afghan-fighting_x.htm?csp=34

Bush said it showed "Islamic fascists... will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom". He said the US was more secure now than before the attacks of 11 September 2001, but was not "completely safe". The UK said it had thwarted a plan to detonate explosives in hand luggage on board planes. The US government has raised the state of terror alert to its highest level for flights from Britain, and has increased the general level of security for all domestic and international flights. Extra sky marshals are being deployed on flights between the US and UK as part of increased security measures. If your wetting your panties over the new Boogieman scare, be it real or contrived, and think giving Government more power will solve your problem of wetting yourself, please don’t call yourself an American. Real Americans would never think of giving up any freedoms, for any reason. The question is, is there enough real Americans left to stop this or should we all just give up?...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4781185.stm

The next terrorist attack could be carried out by airline passengers who hide bomb ingredients in hair gel or baby milk bottles and assemble their weapon in a locked restroom, security experts warn. The announcement Thursday of a foiled plot to blow up jetliners flying from London to the U.S. using explosives hidden in hand luggage could be the opening of a new chapter in air travel. Experts said travelers can expect hours-long security checks, visual inspections of prescription drugs and bans on everyday items. Bomb experts and troubleshooters for airline security interviewed by The Associated Press said mobile phones, computers, wrist watches or anything else with a battery should be prohibited from flights. Are we so scared of the Boogieman that we will give up our way of life and let our former Servants Rule over our sorry asses? Is this American the land of the brave and the free? Or a country of wimps who are willingly trading what freedoms we had, for illusionary safety?...http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/10/terror/main1882146.shtml?source=RSS&attr=U.S._1882146

The Sri Lankan military and Tamil Tiger rebels have resumed heavy fighting in the area of a disputed waterway in the north-eastern district of Trincomalee. "The situation is worsening," a member of the team monitoring the country's 2002 ceasefire said. Doctors say five soldiers were killed on Thursday. One Tiger leader said about 50 civilians had been killed, a claim disputed by the military. Both sides say they are in control of the waterway. The government launched an offensive last month to regain control of the Maavilaru waterway after the Tigers closed it, depriving tens of thousands of villagers in government-controlled areas of water supplies. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4778595.stm

Shares of American Airlines' parent AMR Corp., United Airlines' parent UAL Corp. and Continental Airlines Inc. declined after reports that U.K. officials broke up a terror plot to bomb flights bound for the U.S. AMR fell as much as 4.3 percent from yesterday's close of $20.29 at 9:41 a.m. New York time. United dropped as much as 8.1 percent from $23.83 yesterday, while Continental was down as much as 5.3 percent from $24.21. Shares of European airlines also dropped. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security raised the terrorism threat level for domestic and international flights after 21 arrests in London, and carriers warned of extra airport delays due to tightened security. American, the world's largest carrier, declined to comment on an Associated Press report quoting an unnamed counter- terrorism official in Washington as saying American, United and Continental flights were targeted in the plot. ...http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aCwla2Oi64KU&refer=top_world_news